Saying that Jack the Ripper was not mentally ill is, to say the least, weaselly.

When I say that people shouldn't be stigamtised with disorder unless they think it's a disorder, I don't mean people who have a mental trait that causes them to commit aggression.

Even if we abandon the term mentally ill to describe these people, we would just need another term that meant the same thing. Of those who commit aggression, some can ostensibly choose not to, and for others, the behaviour is somehow compelled by their defective brains. That distinction is important and there should be a word to describe it. There's already such a term and it's mental illness.

No, I don't think my narcissism is a disorder. I want to appreciate my intellect, and every act of boastfulness is an act of appreciation. I don't think the anorexic 14-year-old has a disorder either - not if she wants her body to look like that. It's her $#&%ing body.

Neither of us is hurting anyone else, and that's a massive difference too.

What I would really prefer is to say that no one is mentally ill and people compelled to aggression are defective persons. But we already have a term to describe defective persons and that's mentally ill. I simply argue that you can't prove my narcissism is a defect until I harm someone else because of it. My narcissism may well be helping me, and it's not for anyone else to decide whether it is or not. There's a clear line when someone commits aggression, though.

This moral relativism of yours is exactly what lets government take this freedom, then that freedom, until we have lost them all.-SnarkySack

He still counts, even though he's dead, because lots of people did and do agree with him.

Don't get confused and imagine that everything you were taught in college is 'truth'.

Speaking of college, have you come up with an idea for your Doctoral dissertation yet?

From your article:

Quote:

[Dr. Szasz] joined with the Church of Scientology

Stopped reading there.

But, you got me. Dr. Szasz has gone on to whatever that planet is that Scientologist go when they die. But Tom Cruz, John Travolta and all the other Hollywoo-woo Scientologist are in full agreement with you.

Jack the Ripper was just a fun loving prankster, definitely NOT mentally ill.

3. Jack the ripper was hurting others. It's absolutely appropriate to declare that there was something wrong with him, unless it's right to murder.

The only other sense of the term wrong is in improperly functioning. Well, there's something wrong with my car if it doesn't start, right? But what if it's a museum piece I don't need to drive? Things that are mine (including my brain) are up to me to assess the function of, unless I'm hurting somebody.

This moral relativism of yours is exactly what lets government take this freedom, then that freedom, until we have lost them all.-SnarkySack

But, you got me. Dr. Szasz has gone on to whatever that planet is that Scientologist go when they die. But Tom Cruz, John Travolta and all the other Hollywoo-woo Scientologist are in full agreement with you.

Jack the Ripper was just a fun loving prankster, definitely NOT mentally ill.

Good tactic Red!

I bet it's your own original idea, to attack the messenger when you aren't capable of mounting a defense against the message.

That's like trying to discredit Maoism by talking about Mao liking to have fresh virgin children to deflower on a regular basis, to keep up his manly strength you know, so he would have the energy to lead China well...